Timing
by AAnitab
Summary: After Serena's 1st TOD and Procter's bad date, he has a bit of a secret and she's got an urge to do something stupid. What happens next will change everything for both of them. Serena/Mathew romantic committed smut ahead. I am the queen.
1. Time of Death

Title: Timing

Author: AnitaB

Author's notes: I was so happy when Proctor's failed date and Serena's Time of Death trauma happened in the same episode. It saved me the trouble of killing someone to traumatize her. The idea of Proctor getting all possessive and protective of her had been floating in my head for a few weeks. Well, to get on with it, Proctor has a bit of a secret and Serena's got an urge to do something stupid. What happens next will change everything for both of them. Serena/Mathew romantic committed smut ahead. I am the queen.

I own nothing and nothing I do own would be worth winning in a lawsuit. No infringement intended.

Timing

By AnitaB

Chapter one: Time of death

'It didn't take' was a bit of an understatement. 'I didn't take it' was a little more accurate. But then saying the wrong woman's name in a rather … intimate situation tended to make opportunities like that a little harder to grab.

He could still taste the vodka in the back of his throat, but that again wasn't the problem. The alcohol had tried to do its job, but this wasn't that easy to forget about. And of course Dr.'s Zambrano and Deleo decided that Serena… Dr. Warren should be the first one to interrogate him. It was utterly logical to want to know details about one's boss, particularly as he'd asked for it by coming to work hung-over enough for a rehydration kit. But that didn't mean he was going to tell anyone… especially Serena … what really happened.

The ouch wasn't for the needle in his arm, but putting the other person in a position of apology made him feel better. /Serena…\\ He could still hear his own voice saying that word. The blonde cardiologist he'd had in his lap last night… well… she hadn't been amused when the man she was kissing called her by another woman's name.

And he'd be saying her name, her first name again, or at least thinking it very, very hard. It wasn't like he often forgot just how young she was, almost as young as she looked, but he sometimes did. Matthew just forgot she was as inexperienced in some aspects of their job because she was so capable. First TOD was the hardest and she'd been alone. Team trauma had one too many bodies on gurneys for one of them to be at her side. He'd known something was very wrong simply by the position of her back at the side of her gurney as he'd passed the room. Even before the machines were turned off and the nurses started to cover the body.

Mathew wanted to hug her outside that trauma room, wanted to say her name and pull her close. But other than the poor comfort of confirming that she had done all she could and a moral lesson disguised as a joke, he had nothing to offer her but a moment.

Serena tended to reject pure comfort, she saw it as pity. And with the memory of blonde hair in his fingers and her name on his lips… he didn't trust himself or his motives at the moment. Mathew decided to keep a closer eye on her today. He might have failed her by not being there at her side, but he wouldn't let her down again.

She seemed to be feeling a little better by the end of the shift. At least in part because she'd helped Chris save the twin brother from his broken heart syndrome, and then more by sitting with him for a talk. But there was still something wrong with the way she held her shoulders as Dr. Warren walked out of the hospital that evening. There was a layer of tension in the lines of her back, her face that worried him.

It worried him even more when she drove past their favorite little bar and headed for one he'd never been to before. If she was just planning for a drink or two to take the edge off, why would she avoid the place where Chris or Eva or even he himself might drop by for a drink of their own.

Serena absolutely shouldn't be left to her own devices right now and if he hadn't followed her, that was exactly what would have happened. Mathew watched from his new car as she fluffed her hair and slapped on a darker color of lipstick then he'd ever seen on her before. When she walked into the bar, the tension her in back was almost hidden under the extra sway of her hips. But he could still see it. /Oh, darling, what do you think you're doing?\\

He tried to tell himself he wasn't watching the curves of her hips as she practically strutted into the bar, but it would have been a lie. The last few days had proven to him beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was aware of Dr. Serena Warren in ways that were not appropriate for her boss or her friend. Parking the car across the street, Mathew gave her a few minutes head start and himself a few deep breaths before he walked into the bar and scanned for a petite blonde.

He heard her laugh before he spotted her hair. Had he not been watching her for weeks, he might have thought the laughter was real. But Mathew knew better. He'd heard Serena laugh any number of times, but this wasn't it. That sound on her lips was faked and forced for the man at the bar showing her a lighter trick.

/Damn, you work quick, girl.\\ The man at Serena's side was at least ten years older than her and almost a foot taller. Before them on the bar were two empty shot glasses and the bartender set down two full ones as he watched. Clear liquid filled the glasses. Vodka. Not her normal cocktail, mixed drink, or even beer.

Serena tossed back the liquor expertly and gestured for a third without even a cough or a grimace. Mathew found himself sliding onto the empty stool next to hers as she reached out for the next shot. Now she coughed and grimaced. "Dr. Proctor? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hello, Serena. Funny meeting you here." He tried for casual as he ordered a mojito and turned to look at the man glaring at him from Serena's other side. "Eva suggested I stop drinking vodka and try one of these. Aren't you going to introduce me to your young man?"

She turned bright red, lowered her chin, and struggled for words for a moment. "Uh… sure… of course… Dr. Mathew Proctor, this is… Greg, right?" At the man's slight nod, she continued. "Greg, this is Mathew Proctor… my boss." He watched the man, who looked for all the world like a surfer bum, reach out a hand like he was going to shake it. /Like hell,\\ He knew if he touched Greg's hand, he would want to squeeze for the pain points between the bones. Not the wisest thing he could do.

Waving the handshake away, Mathew reached out instead for the mojito and took a small sip. "Nice to meet you, Greg, was it? Have you known Serena long?" He knew the answer had to be about five minutes. He also knew he was practically drowning their little patch of the bar in testosterone and protectiveness. He didn't care. Serena wasn't going anywhere with this salt-soaked bastard, not if he could do anything about it.

"No, not long." Greg threw back his new shot and turned to Serena with a look of speculation and half an invitation. "Hey, Serena, my buddies and I were going to a bonfire party tonight. Should be getting started any time now. Wanna come?"

Mathew leaned closer against Serena, sliding an arm loosely around her shoulder. "Oh, bonfires are a bad idea. Remember the fourth degree burns on that teenager last week?" He tugged her against his side and gave Greg a dark little twist of a smile, knowing it was possessive in a way he had no right to be. "Add alcohol and you're just asking to ruin those good looks. Nothing scars as badly as burns. Right, Serena?"

Tension flowed up and down the lean body under his arm. She was mad at him and that only made him feel better about what he was doing. She had planned to do something stupid. "Thanks, but I'll pass. Maybe I'll see you around, Greg."

"Yeah, maybe."

Mathew felt a dark joy building in him at the sight of the surfer boy backpedaling. /Good call, darling, good call.\\

000

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry and stamp her feet and maybe hit Proctor in the face. Greg walked away, taking with him her plans of being utterly senseless by 10:42. And leaving her bright red, already a little tipsy, and all alone with her boss.

There had been no fourth degree burns on a teen from a bonfire last week. And Proctor's arm was still around her shoulders and her third shot was on the bar between her hands. She needed that alcohol, right now. Serena wrapped shaking fingers around the glass and fought the burn in her throat to get it down without showing the pain. "Happy now, Proctor?" Shoving his arm off her shoulder, Serena turned to see him. The smile on his face only raised her blood pressure even higher. "What the hell do you want?"

The expression on his face faded, turned serious and just a little unreadable. "To make sure you're alright." He raised one hand to her arm, fingers curling warm against her skin. His smile had made her angry. His pity made her absolutely furious. Serena couldn't have described what happened in the next few moments if she'd been under oath. The bar stool hit the ground at her feet. His drink ended up soaking into the cloth of his shirt and her hand was imprinted in red on his cheek.

"Who do you think you are? You're not my father, brother, or boyfriend. But you think you have the right to follow me, check up on me?" Her hand was in the air on the way to his face when his fingers caught her wrist and dragged her hard against his chest.

"I'm your friend and your boss, Serena. I care about you and I'm not letting you do anything tonight that you'll regret in the morning, I promise you that." Her fingers knotted up in the front of his shirt as he wrapped his arms around her in something like a hug. "I'm taking you home."

His arms tightened just a little and the feelings she'd planned to drink away climbed back up out of the pit of her stomach. Serena found her face buried against his chest and her arms clinging to his waist. "She was only 18."

"I know, darling. I know. You did everything you could, everything possible. It was just her time." She felt his cheek rest against her hair, felt the rumble of his voice under her cheek. "We save the ones we can, but we have to learn to let the others go."

She just nodded against his shoulder and tried to pull out of his arms. "God, I need a drink."

He didn't let go, but did open his arms enough to tilt her chin up and meet her eyes. His lips curved upward with a little twitch. "After no less than three shots of vodka already?"

Proctor did something she'd thought was impossible tonight. He made her smile for real. "Right now I'm not sure the bottle would be enough."

He laughed softly and it felt good against the length of her fingers spread wide over his chest. Serena leaned in a little more to feel that vibration against her ribs and arms. "Well, I'm not letting you drink a whole bottle. Eva and Chris would never forgive me for carrying you into an ER with alcohol poisoning when I could have stopped you. But I think we could both use one more drink. And then I'm driving you home."

Serena found her head tilting to the side and looking up at him with a puzzled face. And it was up at him. He seemed somehow taller when there wasn't a gurney and a patient between them. The look on his face didn't seem like pity, even though that was the reason she'd slapped him. But she didn't know how to take his actions. "Am I supposed to say 'thanks, dad'?"

"I'm not your father. Just your friend." Now his arms opened and he placed one hand on her back to guide her back down onto a barstool. "What would you like to drink?" His face twisted a little and he pushed Greg's empty shot glasses away from the edge of the bar. "Other than vodka."

She still couldn't read his expression as he took Greg's seat and waved the bartender over. "I'll have a mojito, I guess."

"And something to eat." Proctor set a menu in front of her and ordered them both drinks.

"And if I'm not hungry?" She could hear the sudden edge in her voice and knew he'd heard it by the flick of his eyes over her face.

"Three shots of vodka, at your body weight… especially that quickly… is a lot of alcohol. Food in your stomach will help. You know that." Now she could read his expression. That face was pure determination. He was stubborn about making her eat something.

"You know, I'd planned to get really drunk tonight." Serena kept her tone flat and even and her eyes on his face. Something was happening here and she didn't understand it. Serena didn't like things she couldn't understand.

"And then do something stupid and life-affirming. I know. That's why I followed you here." Now he wasn't looking at her, eyes locked on the menu in front him.

"And you're stopping me…why?" Proctor didn't respond for a long moment. Then his shoulders shifted with a long, slow breath in and out.

"Because I know it won't help. It's what I did after my first time calling TOD. Though I still don't remember all the details of everything I did."

"You drank a whole bottle of vodka and did something stupid and life-affirming? Really? What did you do?"

"It was whiskey, or at least the empty bottle I found later in my car was." Now he actually turned at looked at her again. "I totaled a car, got three messages from women I'd either offended or intrigued, and a splitting headache for a week. None of that made me feel any better about the five year old boy found face down in his parents' swimming pool whose heart I couldn't get restarted." Proctor turned enough to rest one hand on her arm and gave her very serious eyes. "Which is why you're having something to eat with a friend, a few controlled drinks, and an available shoulder… right here." Serena felt her teeth sinking into her lip and let her hand reach for his, fingers sliding through his with a soft little squeeze. It made him smile just a little and that eased the tight aching in her chest more than the vodka had and so much more than Greg had. "So what are we having?"

Resting her head on his shoulder, Serena glanced at the menu. "The only safe thing at a bar like this is either greasy or grilled. Wanna share some chicken strips and French fries?"

"That sounds lovely." No, what sounded lovely was the low rumble of his accent under her ear. What felt lovely was the warmth and support of him so close.

After she'd finished enough food, he even let her sip a beer while they talked and he cuddled her under his arm in a quiet booth. Eventually though, she knew it was time to go and it was still before 10:42 pm.

"Mathew?" Serena looked up at him and still hated the weak sound in her voice.

"Yes, darling."

/Darling…that's the second time he's called me that.\\ She looked at her fingers a moment where they rested on the sleeve of his shirt. "I don't want anything else to drink but…" If she couldn't look him in the eyes, she didn't deserve to ask him this. Serena forced her eyes to his face and felt his fingers slide through hers again. It was a warm, solid grip and seemed to give her a little strength. "But I don't want to go home yet either. I'm … I'm not ready to be alone."

"It's not 10:42 yet, is it?" His eyes were serious and warm on her face. He had really beautiful eyes.

"Not even close."

He nodded with a thoughtful expression and cleared his throat. "What do you say to picking up ice-cream and camping out on my couch for a movie then?"

There was nothing she wanted more in this moment than to spend more time like this. "Now that sounds lovely."

000


	2. Time of Life

Timing

By AnitaB

Chapter two: Time of life

He had to be more careful than this. Mathew could not let himself get used to this, to the feel of Serena tucked under his arm on his couch. He shouldn't let himself get addicted to the scent of her hair spilling over his shoulder or the sound of her giggles. Monty Python was the perfect movie choice for tonight. He loved the way she laughed every time he whispered a joke in her ear with an artificially heavy accent. He shouldn't be paying this much attention to the lines of her body against his side, shouldn't remember thinking about her when he had another smart blonde in his lap.

Shouldn't be almost painfully aware of every point of contact. Mathew eventually put both feet up on the coffee table just to make his… awareness of her… a little less obvious. The cold bowl of ice-cream in his lap wasn't having nearly the dampening effect he'd hoped. He licked the last chocolate syrup off his spoon and made himself move his arm off her shoulders. Leaning over, Mathew placed the empty bowl on his side table and reached back for hers. Serena beat him to it, leaning across his lap to put her bowl right next to his.

Then time skittered to a complete stop even as the knights tried to banter and joke their way across a toll bridge in the movie. Serena's arm brushed across his lap and every muscle in his body froze. If he could feel her then she could probably feel him.

The suddenly stiff set of her shoulders told him she had. Mathew waited for her response. If she just pulled back and sat up, they could pretend he wasn't sitting beside her hard as bleeding rock just from the smell of her hair.

Her hand was shaking enough that the bowl clinked against the surface of the table as she slowly pulled back. He bit his lower lip to hold in a groan as the way she sat up dragged the length of her arm across his erection. Mathew fisted his hands in the cushion of the couch and fought to keep his eyes open until she was sitting upright at his side with her eyes on his face.

"Mathew?"

Her voice saying his first name with that mixture of nerves and heat made his breath catch and his eyes slowly rise to her face. "Yes, Serena."

She must have gotten whatever answer she needed from his face, because the next thing he knew, Serena had moved astride his knees and pressed her lips to his. He was instantly lost. Nothing had ever felt better than the soft, warm, sweet pressure of her lips. Mathew found his hands helplessly stroking up the length of her thighs to cup the curve of her hips and pull her closer. He wanted, needed to feel her, taste her, touch her. One hand slid into her hair, angling her head to deepen the kiss. "Oh, darling." She tasted like Heaven, opened so sweetly to the plunge of his tongue. Her arms tightened around his neck and her hips rocked against his. "Serena…"

She moaned low in her throat and he felt the sound in every single cell of his body. She was in his arms, pressed tight against his body and trying to kill him with the rub of her hips over his. So hot, so soft, so needy. /Oh, bloody hell.\\

He was doing exactly what he'd promised he wouldn't. He was about to let her do something stupid and life-affirming. He was about to lose her. /Stop it. Stop it now.\\ It was hard, so hard to break the most amazing kiss he'd ever had. That Serena fisted both her hands in his hair and plunged her tongue past his lips made it impossible to resist for the space of several beats of his heart.

/Now.\\ Mathew planted both his hands low against the front of her hips and forced her off his hips and backwards onto his knees. "Serena, please darling. We can't… not like this."

She was breathless, her hands on his chest and her eyes on his lips. Her hips fought his grip, trying to scoot forward to get that heat back. And he wanted to give it to her so badly he almost gave in. But he couldn't. Mathew had made a promise. And if he ever wanted her in his arms for real, he couldn't give in now. "You want this too, just like me. I could feel it, so hot. Please, just…" Serena slid her hands down his chest towards his belt.

If her fingers got there, the next thing she would get was all her clothes on his bedroom floor and regrets in the morning. He could not let that happen. But the only way was to tell her the truth… all of it. "No, darling. I don't want just this." He swallowed hard and caught her fingers on the buttons of his shirt before she could reach skin. "I don't want this, Serena. I don't want a one-nighter that you'll regret later. I don't want a taste of something so perfect, knowing I can't keep it." Mathew took a deep breath and let his fingers rub up and down the curve of her hips, groaning low in his throat at the trembling in all her muscles, at the way she leaned closer. "But I do want you. I want you, Serena, clear-headed and without a single regret the next morning. I want nights with you in my arms and days working with you at my side. I want all of you and… If I can't have that, I'm not giving up all do I have of you for one night. I can't."

He watched her eyes blink twice, a slow wave of her lashes. Her teeth sank so hard into her lower lip that he expected to see blood. Mathew risked letting go of her hand to sooth that bitten lip with a stroke of his thumb. God, she'd tasted so sweet. If he pulled her closer, she would give him another taste of heaven, he knew it in his gut. He'd bet his car that every inch of her was just as sweet as her lips, maybe sweeter. He could make her moan his name as he kissed his way down her… /Stop, now.\\ Serena seemed to be searching his face even as she nuzzled into the palm of his hand. "Please, Serena. Please say something. Anything."

"You're right. I know you're right." Her hands left the shirt buttons near his belt and spread out wide over his heart. "I'm sorry… I just… lost it for a bit there. But you're right. This isn't how it should happen, if it should happen." Her eyes left his and a chill invaded him head to toe. "I should go… thank you for everything. The ice-cream, the movie, even following me to the bar. I should really go home."

She tried to move away from him and he couldn't… couldn't let her out his front door just yet. If she got more than twenty feet from him, he might not get her back this close. "No, stay tonight." Serena shook her head and tried to speak. Mathew didn't let her. "Not for… this. Just stay. No man worthy of you would let anything start when you were vulnerable, but neither would he let you be alone. Bed's through there. There are t-shirts in the closet for night clothes. Tomorrow we'll talk and pick up your car before work."

Her lips curved and it tightened his hands on her skin. "And where will you be sleeping if I'm taking your bed?"

"On the couch, where I sleep whenever I give up my bed for a beautiful woman." He forced his hands off her hips before they could start wandering on their own. "It is a very comfortable couch."

"Thank you, Mathew." Serena gifted him with a soft, sweet little smile, cupped his face in her hands, and leaned in for one slow, careful kiss. It took every ounce of his self-control to merely accept and enjoy the taste and warmth of her without pinning her to his hips and starting 'this' up again. Fistfuls of the couch cushion helped him stay put and not follow her lips when she pulled back. "Goodnight,"

"Goodnight, Serena. Sleep well."

"I think I will." She was smiling as she stepped into his bedroom. The second the door closed behind her, Mathew buried his face in hands and fought to control his breathing. He'd done it, he'd managed to hold onto his control and do what was best for Serena. Even when every nerve in his body was still pleading with him to following her down that hall and share the bed with her tonight.

"My mother raised a gentleman. But bloody hell that doesn't mean it's easy."

000

She felt like she'd been on an emotional rollercoaster, with sharp turns and extreme highs and lows. And it was all because of the man in the living room. Her boss, her friend, her mentor had just done something amazing for her. Something no one else had ever done.

Mathew had put her first. He had put her ahead of his feelings, his desires, even his so highly guarded privacy. And the only way she could show him just how much it meant to her was to climb out of his lap with a 'thank you' and give up his heat of his hands and his kiss until he could believe that 'this' wasn't just alcohol and trauma.

She wanted him, had wanted him for weeks, since long before he'd ridden to her rescue tonight. He'd saved her, from so much more than a hangover and a walk of shame. No man she'd ever been with would have stopped because she already meant more to him than the sex would have. No one had cared about her that much before… ever.

But Damnit all to hell, he'd felt so good. Serena forced herself to close his bedroom door without looking back. If his hands were still fisted in the sofa cushions, she might just have to climb back into his lap and kiss away that self-control. And she knew she could do it. The way Mathew had held himself so still, the strength and trembling in his hands as he'd pushed her away. The heat in his eyes as he stared at her lips. The desperation in his voice as he said all those things… those beautiful words in his nerve tingling accent.

He had been so close to giving into himself and her, into giving them both that stupid, life-affirming act that they would regret later, that would feel so damn good now.

But every nerve in her body was still begging for one more kiss, one more touch, one more moment wrapped so tight in the heat of his arms. Serena closed her eyes, leaned heavily against his bedroom door, and wrapped her arms tight around her own ribs. She wanted his hips against hers, his strong and agile hands on her skin, next time without the jeans in the way. She wanted to hear him whisper her name with that depth of warmth and need. "Oh Mathew…"

/Tomorrow, tomorrow is soon enough.\\ Serena forced herself to move forward. If she couldn't touch him until morning, at least she was going to sleep wrapped in the scent of him. She changed into a t-shirt she found on his bed and climbed between sheets that smelled of his cologne.

She thought it would be hard to sleep, had thought she wouldn't be able to rest tonight at all between the emotional stress of the day and the clamoring of her body for his. But she'd no quicker cuddled into his pillow than she woke up to light on her face and the smell of coffee.

She felt remarkably hangover free. There was no headache, no light sensitivity, no cottonmouth. /Mathew,\\

It was time to go show a certain doctor that she was recovering nicely from the alcohol and the stress. Serena climbed out of his bed and decided not to get dressed. With any luck, she'd be back in the bed, this time with company, quickly enough that clothes wouldn't be an issue. Besides, guys seemed to like seeing a woman in their clothes. Serena wanted Mathew and wasn't above using a little extra leverage to get him.

Flinging open the bedroom door, she headed towards the kitchen, the smell of coffee, and the faint sound of humming. Her feet stopped on their own one step into the room. /Oh, yes, please.\\ He looked … delicious. Mathew was standing at his kitchen counter in nothing but a pair of old jeans. His hair stuck up all over his head as he ran his fingers through it. Serena wanted her hands in that hair, wanted to explore every gorgeous inch of that strong back and firm chest with her fingers and her mouth. She wanted to see how smooth the stitching on his heart surgery had been with her lips and tongue. She wanted to wrap her legs around that lean waist and feel his strong hands burning hot against her skin.

"Mathew," He turned at the sound of his name and she could feel heat burning over her skin at the stroke of his eyes over her body. "Good morning."

"It is at that." He swallowed, clenching his hands. Which made Serena's body move a few feet closer on its own. "How are you feeling, Serena?"

She fisted her hands to keep them from touching him before he was ready and stepped even closer. "You tell me, Dr. Proctor. Do I get a clean bill of health?" Serena stopped a painfully cold two feet from him and invited him to cross the distance with a smile.

"Hmm," Mathew gave her a smile in return before cupping one hand against her cheek to tilt her head back. His eyes turned analytical, the heat in them cooling just a little. "Your eyes aren't bloodshot. You're not dehydrated. Do you have a headache?"

"No, no headache, no pain at all." She leaned into the warmth of that palm, helplessly taking one more step. "So in your medical opinion, I'm clear-headed and capable of making fully-informed decisions?" It was so hard to stand still under the warmth in his eyes, with the heat of so much of his skin so temptingly close. Her hands itched to touch him. Serena forced her fingers to close around the hem of his t-shirt against her thighs.

"Yes, darling, I believe you are. But please be sure of your choice before you make it. I simply don't have it in me to pull back from you again." Now he let her see the full depth of need in his face and it was … so damn beautiful.

"Mathew, I want you, all of you. Nights in your arms and days at your side." She finally let her hands reach out for him, groaning low in her throat at the slide of his skin against her palms as she stroked up his chest to grip his shoulders. "I… please, Mathew, touch me."

He growled… nothing sounded more beautiful than that low, harsh sound of need on his lips. Strong hands finally touched her, lifted her against his chest with a palm on the bare skin of her thigh and the other buried in her hair. Mathew finally kissed her again, warm lips and agile tongue stealing her breath. /Finally, yes.\\ Serena finally buried her hands in his hair and opened eagerly for even more of his taste. She would never get enough of his kiss, of the heat and strength of his body against so much of her own.

Those hands clenched hard on her hips. But he wasn't pushing her away this time. Mathew lifted her onto the edge of his counter and stepped between her knees. "Mathew," She helplessly curled her legs around his hips and arched against the feel of him tucked hard and tight so damn close to where she wanted him. Hot skin and rough denim rubbed against the insides of her thighs with every little move of his hips against hers. "Please, more."

He smiled against her lips as she arched in his arms. "That's my girl, my darling Serena. I'll give you more, give you everything." His laugh shook his ribs, felt so good with only a thin t-shirt in the way. But the words were even better. Especially when that promise was followed up by the drag of both hot, strong hands up every inch of her thighs to clench on her hips under the shirt. Now it was her turn to shake as he rocked her hips right into his erection with a rough groan. He was hard against her and it felt even better than it did last night on his couch. Now she could keep it, keep him. "Is this what you want?"

He expected her to speak… now… when he was kissing his way down the arched line of her throat and rubbing his erection over her most sensitive nerves… the man was crazy. Fucking brilliant and hotter than hell, but nuts. Serena dug her nails into the back of his neck and dragged his lips back to hers. After a rough, deep kiss, she fought for enough air to answer him. "Hell, yes, I want that. Now take me to bed."

Nothing was a beautiful as the smile on his lips as he curled both his arms around her hips to lift her against his chest. "Yes, ma'am. Hold on tight." A quick, hard kiss later, he pulled back to start walking. But Serena wasn't at all ready to stop kissing him. Compromising with necessity, she distracted herself with the line of his throat, flicking the very tip of her tongue over his pulse. He tasted good. She loved the rush of his breath and the pounding of his heart, adored knowing that she had done that to him. Serena had made him this hard, this hot, this desperate for her touch. And she was going to give him as much as he wanted. She couldn't wait to touch every inch of him.

His step faltered just a bit when she nibbled at the line of his jaw. "Darling, please."

"Then hurry up. I'm not a patient girl." She simply loved the low, sweet rumble of his laughter as he carried her to his bed. /Fuck, yes, finally.\\

000


	3. Fast time and slow time

Timing

By AnitaB

Chapter three: Fast time and slow time

She was gorgeous, warm, soft, and so damn sweet. And she was in his arms asking for more of him. Serena was going to get what she wanted, anything and everything she wanted. But if she kissed his neck one more time, she just might get it up against one of his walls. "Darling, please."

She laughed against his pulse, a light sweet sound he couldn't help but respond to. "Then hurry up. I'm not a patient girl."

Hitching her hips higher against his waist, Mathew tightened his grip and hurried. It simply wouldn't do to let her lose interest now. Catching his fingers in her hair, he guided her lips up to his for a soft, sweet kiss. "Believe me, darling, I plan to keep you very well entertained. But you asked for the bed, so let me get you there." He couldn't wait to see her in his bed, outlined by his sheets, her hair spilling over his pillow and his hands all over her skin.

A few more steps and he could touch her, finally, really touch her. Just a few more feet and his hands would be free to test out the response he could pull from every eager nerve on this gorgeous girl. "Mathew…" His knee hit the edge of the mattress and he forced his arms open to help her slide up his sheets.

"I've got you." She looked perfect, like his own private little piece of heaven. "God, you're beautiful, Serena. I can't believe I get to touch you." He watched his own fingers slide along the curve of her cheek and down the line of her collarbone.

"So get with the touching, already." His impatient girl sat up and dragged his shirt off over her head. His heart stopped behind his ribs. But unlike the time before, it immediately started racing as Serena led his fingers to the curve of her breast. She was so soft, so smooth and warm, and so blasted sweet. "You have no idea how long I've wondered how your hands would feel."

He could hear the pleasure in her voice and it snapped something inside him. The next thing he knew, Mathew had lifted her across his lap and that sweet little breast was under his lips. Nothing tasted better in the world than her skin on his tongue. Nothing sounded better than the sharp gasp on her lips. Nothing felt better than the bite of her nails in his back and her nipple hardening between his lips. "Serena," Small hands gripped his hair and he obeyed the guidance of her fingers to kiss, lick, suck and nibble at every sensitive spot he could find.

She sounded just as gorgeous moaning his name as he'd thought she would. Mathew braced her body with his hands in the middle of her back and kissed his way back up to her lips. /So bloody sweet.\\ He could spend forever here in her arms sampling every single flavor her body had to offer. "Mathew," Her grip changed, hands pushing him back, taking away the sweet taste of her skin. "I want…" Her eyes were hot, sliding from his lips to his chest to his jeans. "I want to explore too."

He found his hands in her hair as those beautiful eyes locked to his face. Serena looked so beautiful it stole his breath as she leaned down to drag the very tip of her tongue the entire length of the scar over his heart. /Oh sweet bloody hell, my darling.\\ She was trying to kill him. And if his rather enthusiastic response to a simple stroke of her tongue was any indication, Serena was going to break him wide open before he could return the favor. Her hands rubbed down his chest, dragging the edges of her nails along every tense muscle in her path. "Darling." Mathew caught her fingers just above the button of his jeans. "Not yet, Serena, I'm not done exploring you first." He lifted both her hands to his lips, planting a kiss in each palm before guiding her onto her back on his bed. "Try to lie still." He closed her fingers around the edge of the pillow and dragged his palms down the warmth of her arms to grip her ribs. "God, you're lovely."

He needed a kiss before anything else, leaning down to sip a low, sweet groan off her delicious lips. It was his name. "Mathew, please." Mathew couldn't resist another taste of her kiss at the need in her voice, weakly pulling back to stare at the lines and curves of her against his sheets. So much to touch and taste. /Where should I start?\\ Before his eyes her back arched and her hips rocked against his sheets. /Perfect…\\ Mathew cupped one breast in his palm and kissed his way down her throat and across her chest to close his lips around the stiffened peak. She tasted so good, sounded so good gasping his name. But it wasn't enough. He licked over her heart just to feel it pounding behind her ribs. Mathew loved the feel of her hands clenching in his hair and every inch of her body arching against his.

"That's my girl, need me more." Mathew dropped a kiss on her other breast before dragging the tip of his tongue along the edge of her ribs to kiss his way down the trembling skin of her waist to the edge of the last cloth in his way. "Should I take these off you, darling?" Her hips arched and rocked and trembled under his lips with every syllable. Her nails dug into his shoulders, but the sounds on her lips didn't even reach the status of words. /Yes, darling… that's it.\\ Mathew smiled against her belly button before he tried to drive even more of those sounds off her lips. He sucked a perfect circle mark right above the lace of her underwear, warming both hands up and down the soft skin of her thighs. "What was that, Serena? I couldn't quite hear you."

Strong, tiny little hands shoved at his chest, pushing him back far enough to miss her taste. But the sound of her low, desperate moan made up for it. "Mathew, for god's sake, yes. Naked, Matt, we need to be naked. Lose the damn jeans."

"You first," He caught his fingers in the waistband and started to drag the last of her clothes down her thighs. Serena arched in his arms, helping him strip her bare to his eyes and his hands. /Gorgeous, my darling.\\ Mathew stared down at her and was intensely grateful for the jeans still fastened around his waist. The sight of her completely bare and needing him, made the need to plunge inside her almost irresistible. "Serena…" He forced his hands to move slowly up the beautiful length of her legs until he filled his palms with the smooth curve of her hips. "I have to taste you, every beautiful inch."

She trembled under him, nails digging into his back as he kissed up the inside of her thigh. He'd never in his life felt or tasted skin this soft and he wanted more. "Mathew, please… ah… more, please." Mathew loved the sound of her voice begging for him. He wanted more himself, wanted to know exactly what she'd sound like when he plunged inside her. /I've got you, darling. I'll give you everything.\\ Controlling her hips with the grasp of his hands, Mathew locked his eyes to her face and stroked his tongue against the liquid heat of her need. He'd done this to her, made her this wet, this hot, this delicious. "God, Matt!" He lost her eyes as every inch of her body arched and rocked into the stroke of his tongue. But her voice… more than made up for it. /More, darling, more, please.\\ Closing his eyes, he plunged deeper, exploring the responses every single gorgeous inch of her could feel. The bite of her nails and the rock of her hips brought a groan to his lips.

And then she shivered so hard he lost his grip for a moment. His voice against her most sensitive nerves had done that. /Oh sweet lord, yes, darling.\\ Clenching his hands on her waist, Mathew hummed and groaned around the stiff little peak at her core. He wanted, he needed to feel her climax right here in his arms, around his tongue. Mathew knew he could do it, knew it could push her over that edge with his hands, mouth, and voice. "Sweet Serena, you taste so bloody good, so damned sweet and hot. I want more." Angling her hips up, he plunged deeper with a groan just for the sound on her lips and the helpless shaking of all her muscles. She was so close, so close to giving him what he needed.

"Matthew, now. Please." Tiny hands shoved him back with surprising strength. He found himself kneeling between her thighs as those fingers attacked his zipper and those sweet lips claimed his. "Damnit, Matt. I need to feel you. Now."

Lost in her kiss, he missed the popping of his button and the drag of his zipper. But nothing could keep his every desperate nerve from feeling the slide of her fingers around his erection. "Oh, fuck, please, darling." He buried both hands in her hair and dove into a kiss, his hips helplessly rocking into her sweet little fingers. Apparently she could push him over the edge too, with her hands, mouth, and voice. And his darling Serena had no intentions of stopping. /Yes, my sweet darling.\\

000

He couldn't know what he was doing to her. But the smile on his lips and the heat in his eyes said he did, and he wasn't stopping until he'd gotten what he wanted. Just the sight of his eyes locked on her face from high between her legs had her breathless and clutching his shoulders. And then he plunged his mouth against her core. Every inch of her body felt the stroke of his tongue, arching so hard that all she could see was the inside of her own eyelids as her back lifted off the sheets. /So good, so close.\\

And then he growled and she could feel that … absolutely heavenly vibration in every aching nerve. He had her breathless, mindless, about to shatter with just his mouth and the fierce grip of his hands. And he knew it. Mathew angled her hips against his face and tried to kill her with the low, harsh sound of his voice. Every sweet word, every skillful stroke of his tongue pushed her closer to coming right here, right now.

With Mathew still in his jeans. /Fucking hell, no. Want you, want to feel, touch… now!\\

Serena dug deep for the last dregs of her control to get him out from between her legs. She needed a kiss and she needed him out of those damn jeans. Straddling his knees she attacked his zipper with a groan and licked the taste of herself off his lips. Serena groaned helplessly against his lips at the feel of his erection filling her hands. So hard, so hot, and every inch of it was for her. She'd made him this hard, made him growl at the stroke of her fingers and thrust against her hands. "Oh, fuck, please, darling."

Mathew plunged his hands into her hair and she happily accepted his deep, breathless, rough kiss. Fuck his jeans. She didn't need them off, just out of the way. Serena needed him inside her, needed to feel every inch of this gorgeous erection plunging into her, and she needed it right now, Damnit. "Mathew…" Her body moved on its own to climb over his hips, one hand guiding the tip of him into position as the other got a grip on the back of his neck for balance. "Now,"

"Serena," He stopped her, one hand braced low on her stomach to hold her off his hips, just barely. His fingers clenched, still trembling against her skin. /Please, Matt, need you, now.\\ His voice groaned low and harsh as he stole a quick kiss. "Serena, love, we need… protection."

/Oh, was that all…\\ Serena felt his hips arch closer at the sound of the laughter on her lips. He wanted this as badly, as desperately as she did. "On the pill… please, Matt. I need…" His grip shifted and now he was pulling her closer instead of holding her back. Flinging both arms around his neck, Serena followed the guidance of those strong hands forward. The very tip of him slid into place for the time of a breathless kiss and a moment for their eyes to lock. "Now, Mathew…" Serena would never forget the look on his face as every delicious inch of him pressed ever so slowly inside her. It felt so amazing. Just the heat of skin against skin and the sweet pressure of being filled inch by delicious careful inch. This was ….

"Sweet Heaven Serena." He stroked both hands slowly up her back to cup her face in fingers that were trembling as hard as her own. The urgency that had been riding her so hard seemed to vanish for a long, sweet moment. Serena breathed in the tender heat of his kiss and the warmth of his body against and inside hers. /Yes it is, Mathew, feels like heaven.\\ Resting in his arms, she ran hungry fingers up and down his back and deepened this heavenly kiss. "You feel… so damn good, darling."

"Mathew," His hands tightened and trembled, stroking heat over her skin to grasp the curve of her hips. A tiny shift of his fingers changed the angle of their hips, driving a soft gasp to her lips "You too." She was reaching for another kiss when he moved. That first little thrust of his hips sent her nails into his shoulders and her heart racing. Now the urgency, the rush, the pleading of all her nerves returned. Serena clung to his shoulders and met that thrust with one of her own.

Now it was his turn to gasp and clench his hands. Those strong fingers tightened on her hips, guiding the next arch and press of her body onto his. So deep. She could feel every hard inch of him inside her at last. Serena clutched at the strong lines of his shoulders, her body arching helplessly at the depth of him. "That's my girl, my darling. Can you feel that, love? How perfectly we fit?"

His arms locked around her waist, holding her hips flush and motionless against his. Every inch of her body wanted to move, needed heat and friction. She gasped and groaned into a kiss and tried to shift her knees for leverage. Serena breathed in right against his lips and managed a tiny little thrust down onto him. "Oh, yes, Mathew. Perfect fit. I need… more. Now."

She managed a second thrust before his hands tightened, robbing her of breath and any ability to move. /Fuck, yes, Matt.\\ By the time she got her eyes back open and her nails out of his back, he'd moved them. Mathew had pressed her backwards onto the bed without pulling one precious inch out of her body. His sheets rubbed along the skin of her back as his hands hitched her knees higher against his ribs. "I promised you everything. Hold on, Serena."

Oh, she was holding on. He was going to have blood on his back if she held on any tighter. Now that it seemed like he would mind. Mathew was trying to push her past all control as he hooked one of her legs over his elbow and pressed even deeper inside her. The new angle let him reach that… /Oh, fuck, yes, Mathew!\\ … that amazing spot that no one, no one had ever found the first time. The smile on his face said in no uncertain terms that he knew exactly what he'd done. And that he planned to do it again.

/Not so fast, Matt.\\ Serena wasn't going to just lie here while he buried her in pleasure. She wanted to make him feel good, to bury him in enough heat and pleasure to force him as far out of control as she already was. "Hmm, yes, Mathew." She forced her hands to work, removing her nails from his back to rub her palms over the flexing muscles of his shoulders. Serena smiled, leaning up to drag the tip of her tongue up his throat to nibble at the line of his jaw. "Mathew," She tightened her legs around his body and moved into his next thrust. Deep, so deep, and yet he still slid right over the spot inside her. She felt the extra sensation tremble and tighten through every inch of her body. And every inch of his. "Yes, Matt, right there. Yes."

He was shaking in her arms, strong hands clinging to her back as he plunged ever deeper. "Lord, yes, darling. Right here, Serena. You feel… so bloody perfect." The next thrust of his hips came with a low, breathless groan in his throat and a deep, sweet kiss that she needed more than anything. His lips pulled back, but only an inch. Those gorgeous eyes burned into hers as his body thrust and plunged inside hers. "Hold me, love, hold me tighter."

There was nothing she wanted more. Mathew simply couldn't get close enough to her. She would always want to hold him tighter. Serena nodded, speechless at the feel of him deeper than anyone had ever been at the next meeting of their hips. She locked her arms around his neck and buried her nails in the hard strength of his shoulders. She squeezed her thighs tight against his ribs and crossed her ankles behind his back. "Matt, yes… more."

"Anything you want, everything." Matt smiled against her lips, clenched his fingers on the curve of her hips, and angled her body under his. "I want all of you, darling. I want to feel you come for me." His arms hitched her higher against his body and held her perfectly still under the next thrust of his hips. Every inch of her body shook and stuttered at the amazing depth of him inside her. And then he held himself just as still as he kept her, so damn deep that she couldn't feel anything else. "I want to feel every gorgeous inch of you, darling, every beautiful little response. Squeeze me, love, feel me, shatter around me."

Her body tried to move, tried to arch and rock, but couldn't. Mathew had her exactly where he wanted her, and he was fully capable of keeping her right here until he got what he wanted. Her pleasure. A tiny little thrust of his hips threw her head back and buried her nails in his skin. "Please, Mathew, I need… I want… please." Serena tightened around him, pulling him just the tiniest bit deeper and stole a kiss while he breathed a low groan. "Please, Matt."

"Tell me, love, and I'll give it to you. Anything you want…" His lips curved against hers, his tongue teasing at the corner of her mouth before he gave her a deep, hot kiss. "Tell me, darling."

He was mad if he thought she was going to manage coherent speech with every single nerve in her body screaming for just a little more. Mathew had her balanced on the edge of climax and he wanted her to talk… insanity. But just maybe she could tell him another way. Locking her arms around his shoulders, Serena fought for another kiss, breathing a low, desperate sound into his lips. Eyes closed, she concentrated on what little movement he'd left her capable of. Yoga was quite useful for stress relief… or creation. She squeezed him, rippled up and down the hard length of him buried so beautifully deep. Serena used every single muscle of her body to feel every single inch of him inside her. It was so damn good she couldn't even breathe.

And then she broke him wide open. "Oh sweet fuck, darling."

/Yes, finally!\\ Now he was moving fast enough, deep enough. Serena felt the wave of sensation start to crest inside her at the strength of his body plunging into hers, so hard, so deep, so damn perfect.

000


	4. Perfection

Timing

By AnitaB

Chapter four: Perfection

It was perfect. It was so damn perfect he was barely holding back. Serena felt so damn good holding every single inch of him so deep. He adored the sound of his name on her lips and the bite of her nails at his shoulders. He loved the tight grip of her legs around his hips and the even tighter grasp of her body around his. Matt positioned himself against and inside her to keep her from breaking him wide open with the amazing movements of her hips. If she arched one more time beneath him, his already fragile control was going to shatter. And he was nowhere near done with the precious angel in his arms. Locking his eyes on her face, Matt tried to steal her control while guarding his own. "I want to feel every gorgeous inch of you, darling, every beautiful little response. Squeeze me, love, feel me, shatter around me."

Her eyes closed. Her arms tightened, leading him down to sip a gorgeous sound off her sweet lips. And then his beautiful girl tried to kill him. Matt had no idea what she did, but without moving an inch of her body, she somehow managed to move every single muscle, wrapping him the most unbelievable heat he'd ever felt.

The sound on her lips let him know that this felt just as incredible for her as it did for him. And that was too good to let him keep even a shred of his control. "Oh sweet fuck, darling."

He adored the smile on her face even as he let go completely. If she wanted hard, fast and out of control… well that was what she was going to get. /Serena, love.\\ The first hard plunge brought his name to her lips and her body arching up against his. "God, yes. Matt, please."

There was no holding back against such pleasure. Matt was lost in it and in her. "Serena, love." Digging his elbows into the mattress, he arched and plunged, adoring each little twitch in her muscles and the sound on her lips. /That's my girl, my sweet Serena.\\ Every hard thrust of his body into hers wrapped all his muscles even tighter. She was heaven, so hot and sweet around his every aching nerve that he expected to explode at the end of each plunge. And the sound of her moaning and calling out his name… he had to push her over the edge first before he shattered inside her. Matt needed to feel this precious woman come apart in his arms, feel her climax holding every inch of him deep and tight. "Serena,"

She was close. He could feel it in the way she trembled around him and the change in her breathing. She was close, but he needed to get her all the way there. "Matt, please…" /I'll give it to you, darling. Want to give you everything.\\ Matt claimed her lips, tasting his name on her lips. He hooked one hand behind her knee, stroking up the smooth length of her thigh to slide his fingertips into the hot silk between her legs. Matt adored the jerk of her hips against his touch, loved the breathless sound on her lips, fucking reveled in the feeling of her shattering around every inch of his erection. "Matt, yes!"

"Bloody hell, my sweet Serena." The bite of her nails in his back and the squeeze of her legs around his waist was just that little bit too much and he managed one more hard thrust before following her right over that edge. Matt found his hands at her hips, his fingers clenching against her skin as every inch of his body pressed deeper for one more heavenly second inside hers. His last coherent thought was that he had to be leaving bruises on her hips. "Serena!"

The world went hazy as he collapsed into her arms and got lost in the heat of her skin against his. Serena wasn't close enough, even now. Mindlessly wrapping his arms around her waist, Matt rolled to his back and tucked her close against his chest. /More, love, closer.\\ He needed a kiss, needed the warmth and taste of her on his tongue while she still had his heart racing in his chest. "Darling," Matt ran one hand up the smooth curves of her body to cup her cheek and tilt her head. Nothing in the world was better than this moment holding her close and savoring the sweet warmth of her lips opening to his.

Her fingers slid through his hair before stroking along his skin to rest over his heart. She kissed him so sweetly and so softly that he still couldn't catch his breath even after his heart slowed. Well before he was ready to give up her kiss, Serena pulled back her lips. "Matt, that was…"

"Perfect, so bloody perfect." He helplessly buried a hand in her hair and pulled her back down against his chest for another taste. He would never, ever get enough of her kiss. Soon he'd have to start practicing the whole 'let her back out of arm's length' thing. But not yet. And Serena by no means seemed to have any desire to hurry that process along. Her arms curled tight around his neck as every sweet little inch of her body shifted against his for a better angle at his lips. He happily helped her move even closer for the next amazing kiss. When his sweet girl pulled back for a breath, Mathew found words on his lips. "I'm never letting you go, love. You're mine now."

A smile curved her lips mere inches from his and he felt relief and warmth flood his nerves. "Good, I wouldn't let you go either. You're mine, Mathew. I need you." Serena bit her lip and cupped his face in trembling fingers. He was helpless before the look on her face.

With a low, desperate sound, Mathew pulled her back down to his lips and dragged the tip of his tongue over that sweet, bitten lip. "You have me, you'll always have me, Serena. Now give me a kiss."

"Always," His hands stroked over the hot silk of her skin as her sweet lips reclaimed his. Her hands were busily heating the skin of his chest with the slide of her fingertips and the bite of her nails. /Yes, my sweet Serena. Always want more of you.\\ Getting lost in her kiss, Matt let his fingers tangle in her hair to keep her close. She still wasn't close enough.

Especially when she pulled back with a gasp. Only after her lips were out of reach could he hear it. His alarm clock was ringing sharp and loud only a foot from the edge of his bed. Serena turned to look at it like she wanted to throw it off the roof of the hospital. "I guess we do have to get out of bed sometime, don't we?" Groaning low in her throat, she dragged herself out of his arms despite his sudden unwillingness to let her go. "Mathew," She gave in just a little to the grip of his fingers through hers, leaning down from her place at the side of his bed for just a sweet moment of a kiss. "How long do we have before the others notice that we're late to work."

"Not enough, my sweet Serena. Not nearly enough for what I'd want to do." Mathew smiled at the instant heat in her eyes. If she looked at him like that for even another second, they wouldn't be late for work. They would be calling in sick and spending the whole day in bed. "Get dressed, love. If we hurry, we can pick up your car, get you some fresh clothes, and still be on time for work."

Something flickered just behind those gorgeous blue eyes and he knew he was going to have the time of his life keeping up with this woman. "And how many days worth of clothes should I pick up?"

"As many as you want, love. If I got my way, you'd spend every night in my arms." He adored the desperate little sound on her lips in the instant before she fisted her hands in his hair and kissed him breathless.

"Get dressed, Mathew, or we aren't making it to work at all today. Hurry." He loved the heat in her eyes as she grabbed her clothes and dashed for the bathroom. The idea that he was even half as distracting to her as she was to him put a smile on his lips that he didn't think he could wipe away.

"Right behind you, darling." He dressed quickly and went to finish the abandoned process of making coffee. Though he'd pick touching Serena over any other activity any bloody day.

000


End file.
